He Brought Him Grapes
by Interstella
Summary: Ed comes home from a mission and Roy is in hospital. Ed/Roy.-COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**He Brought Him Grapes**

Edited RolePlay By Interstella and 'Jordan'.

**Part One**

Golden eyes were closing slowly, the rhythmic thud-ud of the passing ground causing a deep drowsiness, the lullaby formed from a soothing repetitive motion was slowly sending the youth to sleep on his chair. He was stood on the preverbal edge between sleep and wakefulness, yet every time that comforting abyss was within his grasp, it was snatched away by his churning thoughts.

His eyes finally shut, and there he was, the image that was always present when he concentrated on nothing in particular. Impossibly dark eyes peered at him from behind gloved hands as the man in his mind smirked, his pale skin stretching in his trade mark half smile. The vision only lasted half a second before those unique amber-golden eyes shot open and their owner shook his head roughly with a sigh.

It had been like this for a while now, his retinas permanently imprinted, and his mind only thinking of him. But why? Was it really only his hormones? That had to be it, he was a teenage boy, it was perfectly natural to have a crush, right?

Another sigh escaped his lips and he slumped further in his seat. Sulking a little, he turned to the other occupant of the private cabin. "Hey, Al, wanna play more cards?" He asked, obviously trying to take his mind off something. He only hoped his brother wouldn't be able to tell what was clouding his mind.

Alphonse was intent on watching the scenery go by from out the window - it was nice and peaceful. Until, that is, Edward spoke up. It wasn't that it wasn't nice to talk to his brother, but he was asking about yet another game of cards. That had to be the fiftieth game in a row And Alphonse was beginning to feel suspicious that there was something fishy about Ed winning every single time.

Al turned to look at the blonde sitting across from him, his armour glinting at the shift of the light from the window. Edward looked tired, in fact, the last time Alphonse had looked at his brother his eyes were closed and he had assumed that he was asleep. Now that he thought about it though, Ed had been acting a little jumpier than usual lately - if that was even possible. Alphonse gave that phenomenon a little extra thought for a moment before remembering the more important matter at hand.

There was something the matter with his big brother. Alphonse could tell - he always could.

"Alright, Brother, what's the matter?" Before Ed could respond, Al's mind started racing with all the possible ways that Ed would try and lie his way out of talking about his feelings, and all the possible ways that Al would have to steer him back onto the one-way street to fessing up.

Grumbling under his breath about 'over observant brothers', Ed shook his head and looked at Al, trying to put on a normal expression. A slight uptip to the right side of his mouth, the slight narrowing of his golden eyes… Even his shoulders were relaxed a little. If Al thought there was something wrong, he might as well make his brother believe that it was something he was planning, rather than an infestation in his subconscious mind.

"What're you talking about, Al?" He asked, making sure to put just that tiny hint of a jovial tone into his voice. One did not work under that manipulating bastard of a colonel and not pick something up, now was the time to put what he'd learned to the test. Could he now do the one thing that he'd always failed at before? Had he been around Mustang enough to manipulate the more observant of the Elric brothers?

Damn, he'd thought of him again. And what was worse, he'd looked to him for ideas! No. This had to stop. He wouldn't even admit to himself that this was anything more than a simple chemical reaction in his body.

Despite the denials, Ed had figured something out, thanks to his circling thoughts on that one specific man. And if all else failed, if he couldn't convince his brother that everything was fine, he might, _might_ begrudgingly confess to that one, tiny, traitorous, insignificant, momentous morsel of information.

Still, there was the chance that Al wouldn't see right though his pathetic charade, and would take his words at face value. So he had to try. "We gonna play, or what? Or are you just afraid to loose again?" he bated.

"Hey, I'm not afraid of losing! You're the one that's been cheat– " Al caught himself suddenly. Ohoho Ed was good.

'_Nice try, Brother,' _Alphonse thought, quick to catch the sudden change in Edward's demeanour. It was a close call, too. Where had Ed learned to be such an actor? It was a good thing Al had taken precautions, being sure to be observant and more or less had seen this coming as a possibility.

Mentally frowning, Alphonse took his deck of cards and started shuffling and dealing them. If Ed was going to act wise, then two could play at that game.

"Fine, Brother. If you say nothing's wrong, then nothing's wrong." Without realizing it, Alphonse found himself in the midst of a game of "secret agent". A game that no one else new about, which made it all the more exciting.

The rules: Make note of every movement, expression, and comment from the target whilst keeping up the nonchalant act.

The objective: pinpoint the reason behind Edward Elric's distress. Oh yeah, and report back to Super Secret Spy Headquarters.

Piece of cake. No one knew Edward more than his own brother did, and in this suit of armour it was physically impossible for Alphonse - or should it be 'Agent 009'? - to make any sort of facial expression that would give away his mission. No doubt about it, Alphonse was going to make sure that his brother be the first to crack.

Al's instant agreement startled Ed, causing him to pause a little, and give his younger brother a suspicious look. What? Had it worked? Ed highly doubted it, especially with the way Al's sentence had been cut off. So what was going on? Keeping his guard up, Ed smiled and forced himself to relax as he pulled the table down from beside the window.

He'd have to pay attention to every move his brother made, but more importantly, he had to keep winning the games. "Hey, let me deal?" He asked, knowing that that was the best way for him to slip the cards up his sleeve. Trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible, he schooled his features into making Al believe there was nothing wrong.

Twenty minutes later, Ed was feeling slightly better about himself. With a score of three to one, he packed the cards away, knowing that if they continued playing, Al would finally catch him red handed, and that would be the end of those games, and their train rides would once again be consumed by boredom.

After putting the cards back in his pocket, he felt a little relief at Al's lack of questioning. If the youth had truly disbelieved his claim to being 'fine', he would've pushed until Ed had been forced to give out that other truth. Neither truth would be fun to explain, and while there was always the possibility that Al would understand, there was also the distinct, and more likely possibility, that he would be disgusted and disappointed. Unlike Ed, Al was stuck inside a suit of armour and had never gone through puberty. His mind wasn't tainted by hormones, because they simply didn't exist in his body, and they hadn't before either. So Al probably wouldn't be able to comprehend that it was something that couldn't be helped.

With another sigh, he turned to the window, resting his head on his flesh arm as he glued his eyes to the passing scenery. For a few moments, he forgot about his 'poker face', and about the fact that his brother was sat right there, and had previously been questioning him on his mood.

In the distance, he could see Central. They couldn't be more than an hour away. Finally, they were nearly home. So why was he feeling nervous to hand his report in?

Alphonse watched as his brother leaned back in his seat again. He kept sighing and looking gloomy; Something really must have been eating him. Alphonse, following Edward's example, turned to face the window. In the distance he could see the city of central steadily approaching and that's when something seemed to click in his mind. Was Ed upset to go back?

By the time the train had arrived in Central, Al had managed to think up multiple reasons for Ed not wanting to report back. Oddly enough, all of them seemed to point toward Roy Mustang. Now that he thought about it, it seemed like every time they had to report back to the Colonel, Ed would complain about having to go through his teasing (usually about not being able to see Ed over the height of the desk). But it didn't seem like that was the reason at all this time. This time Edward seemed legitimately distressed and Al was starting to get concerned.

As the train hissed to a stop, the brothers set to their normal routine. Alphonse would offer to carry Ed's bag and Ed would insist on carrying it himself. Then they exited onto the platform.

"I wonder if Mustang has another mission for you soon, Brother," Alphonse commented off-handidly. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."

"Hn. I guess." Ed muttered, stretching and rolling his arms, thankful to get away from the cramped space of the train. Truthfully, he was trying to ignore his brother's words – they reminded him of his own thoughts too much.

Picking up his suitcase, he surveyed his surroundings - an old habit he'd picked up after being picpocketed a few times on his missions to the outer edge – usually in the east. The golden orbs ghosted over the pale faces that littered the station, until one caught his attention. "Why is Hawkeye here?"

It wasn't uncommon for someone from Mustang's office to pick them up if it was particularly cold or raining heavily, but today was a fine day, the sun was high in the sky, and it wasn't too hot. So why was the lieutenant there? Curiosity got the better of him, and he moved to stand near the other blonde.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye…" He said, allowing a small amount of suspicion to enter into his voice. "What's up?"

She smiled at him, her expression a little guarded. "I've come to inform you that I'll be taking your report for this mission." She explained to him, nodding a greeting to Al.

"Why? The bastard too damn lazy to take it himself?" Ed asked, not really caring how rude he was towards the colonel. Placing his case on the ground, he put his arms on his hips and took half a step back with one leg, staring at Hawkeye. He wasn't trying to be rude to _her_ specifically, he was just a bit grouchy from the train ride with his thoughts.

"Actually," Hawkeye began, gesturing for the Elric brothers to follow her as she walked, "The Colonel has been taken to hospital." The way she said it spoke volumes of her irritation, "So I have to cover-"

Whatever else she had to say was lost behind Ed's outraged cry of "What!". When she'd spoken, it had taken him a second to comprehend what the words had actually meant. As soon as he understood, his face had drained of all colour and he'd picked up his suitcase.

Without a single glance behind him at the bewildered lieutenant or his brother, Ed ran out of the station, heading in the direction of the hospital.

Alphonse stared dumbfounded after his brother, hand suspended in the air as if reaching out to him, but Ed was already long gone. The younger Elric lowered his hand awkwardly, turning his head to face the Lieutenant.

"I really don't know what's gotten into him this time." He said softly to the lieutenant that was just as befuddled as him.

Roy had been staring at the ceiling for a while now. The choice of paint wasn't nearly as interesting as it could have been, honestly. He made a mental note to remind himself that when he was Fuhrer he would order murals in the hospital rooms.

Eyes drooping into slits, the colonel rolled onto his side. He still felt somewhat fatigued and achy from the stomach flu that had gotten him checked into the hospital. Damn, he was so bored. But at least he wasn't working. A gentle wave of nausea bubbled up from his stomach at the thought of the stack of paperwork he would find on his desk when he ran out of excuses to stay bedridden. And to, think that he'd be there to greet it soon. Far too soon. Now that it came to it, Roy realized that his head was starting to hurt again. And the fact that he had stopped vomiting two days ago didn't mean he couldn't find a way to trigger his gag reflex.

Slowly, the dark charcoal of his eyes disappeared behind his heavy eyelids. Honestly, all this thought about work was starting to wear him out. As Roy began to drift into unconsciousness, he couldn't help but wonder how much more interesting his day would have been if he had the chance to hear that report he was looking forward to getting from FullMetal.

When Ed got to the hospital, he demanded to know where Mustang was, refusing to take no for an answer. It took him twenty minutes to get the number out of the nurse, who didn't believe that he was part of the military. His mind was spinning and he wasn't thinking straight, it took him that long to realize that the proof he needed was in his pocket.

After flashing the watch, he was lead to a hospital room. "So, what exactly is wrong with him?" He asked quietly, a little afraid of the answer.

The nurse that had been leading him to the room smiled softly. "It's just the stomach flu. Evidently he made it seem worse than it already was to get out of paperwork." She looked at Ed in that way that he hated, a condescending smile a mother or an aunt gave to a young child. It wasn't her fault that she saw a kid in Ed. He was only young, and his short stature made him seem younger than his sixteen years. Still, he didn't like the way people often treated him.

"Don't worry," She added, "He's perfectly fine. He should be able to go home in a few days." The tone which she used was sickly sweet, as if she was comforting a ten-year old that has lost his puppy.

Her words, more than her tone, caused Ed to stop. That's right, he just stopped. Eyes bulging slightly, a vein throbbing in his temple, he stared at the nurse. "He's _fine?" _He asked, "He's _okay!"_ His voice was raising a little as he got angrier and angrier, "He's _making it look worse than it is!?_" As if sensing that the youth before her was about to get violent, the nurse put her hand on his shoulder, holding him back slightly. "LET ME IN! LET ME SEE THAT BASTARD!" It didn't take him long to break free of her grip and burst into Roy's room.

"MUSTANG YOU BASTARD!" He yelled, throwing the grapes (that he had previously bought in a hasty decision down in the hospital store), directly into Roy's face. "GODDAMN IT!" And with that, he turned and stormed out of the room, passing Al and Riza in the hall. Furiously storming away, he didn't stop, only thrust something at Riza as he passed. Looking down, she looked at the papers Ed had given her.

His report.

A little confused, she looked at Al, as if expecting him to know what was wrong with his brother.

--- End Part 1 ---


	2. Chapter 2

**He Brought Him Grapes**

Edited RolePlay By Interstella and 'Jordan'.

**Part Two**

_Roy was in the midst of a surprisingly pleasant conversation with no other than the pipsqueak. Sorry, FullMetal. Ed had been reporting on his latest mission but he seemed to keep wanting to go off track, as if he had something else to talk about._

_"Is that all, then?"Mustang asked, resting his elbows on his desk and weaving his fingers together in front of his eyes._

_"For my report? Yeah, it is."_

_Mustang lowered his eyelids slightly. "Then why are you still in my office?"_

_"Well... You know, Mustang..." Edward rose his eyes to the colonel's, staring into them for a moment before his expression completely changed. His eyebrows pulled together over his flaming golden eyes as he grit his teeth suddenly, a vein throbbing at his temple. When he spoke again, he was growling. "Mustang..."_

_Roy leaned back, not knowing what to do with this sudden change. Ed opened his mouth, ready to explode at the Flame Alchemist as if he had just called him a half-pint._

"MUSTANG YOU BASTARD!"

Said Bastard's eyebrows pulled together, his eyelids squeezing more tightly shut as he was unceremoniously ripped from his dream via grape to the head. Namely, right between the eyes.

"Ugh... what the hell..." he muttered almost incomprehensibly, opening his eyes, only to be pelted with more grapes of all things.

Mustang yanked his sheet up over his head, attempting to block the spiteful attacks. "Dammit! FullMetal! What the hell?!"

And just as suddenly as the blonde had made himself aware, he stormed out of the room.

To say that Roy was not expecting that would be and understatement. To say that he was annoyed would be the understatement of the century.

Slowly, he lowered the protective sheet until it draped across his lap. "Speak of the devil..." He muttered in irritation.

"Ed! What are you..." Alphonse trailed off as he watched his brother dump a pile of papers into Riza Hawkeye's hands and walk away. Alphonse saw the look he received from the lieutenant and just shook his head slowly, "Don't look at me. I don't get it either."

Riza looked at Al, then in the direction that Ed had gone. "Perhaps you should give him a while before finding him." She suggested before wandering into Roy's room, looking at the papers as she walked. When she lifted her head, she had to choke back a chuckle, managing to hide it behind a cough.

The colonel was covered in grapes, and many of them had split, causing him to get covered in the sticky juice. Hiding the lower half of her face with the reports, she shook her head. Finally managing to school her features, she moved to the sink to get a cloth. Placing the papers on the desk beside Roy's bed, she ran the cloth under the tap in the corner and handed it to him.

"Do you know what's bothering him?" She asked.

Roy narrowed his eyes at Hawkeye. She, somehow having the nerve to be amused with the situation, was obviously trying not to laugh. Roy took the cloth from her, wiping the juice from his face.

"How should I know? I guess the boy's finally cracked. We all saw it coming." Despite his joking, Roy's tone was nonchalant, as if he could care less for the reason behind Ed's outburst. It wasn't uncommon for the boy to have them - especially around the colonel who seemed to delight in teasing the blonde above anything else.

Flicking a grape off of his lap, Roy reached over to take a look at the papers that Riza had set down next to him.

"FullMetal's report, I presume?" His dark eyes scanned quickly over each page. Without looking up from the article, he continued, "Honestly, Lieutenant, what's the point of my checking in to the hospital if you're just going to bring the work to me?"

But his lips tilted slightly upward as he read further, somehow not quite so displeased with this paperwork.

Hakweye rolled her eyes as she sat on the chair beside Roy's bed. This was the only thing she'd brought in for him. Everything else, she'd either done her self, or left on his desk to wait for him. "According to Alphonse, Edward's been acting a little strange for a while now." She added offhandedly, picking up the bunch of grapes that was still together. The few that had remained attached to the stalk looked okay, and she plucked one off and placed it in her mouth.

After a second, she frowned at the grapes then chuckled. "He bought you grapes." She pointed out, "I don't think it was his intention to throw them at you though."

"_He bought you grapes…"_

Roy finally took the effort to look away from the report and peer over the papers at Riza. His expression was thoughtful as if taking it all in.

"Hm…" After a moment, he looked down again, pretending to continue his reading even though he had already finished. After a lot of practice at it with a news paper, he'd gotten pretty damn good at making the act come across as legitimate. His voice was that same nonchalant tone from before, "I'm not entirely sure if you're trying to hint at something, Hawkeye… but if Edward really is feeling unusually distraught today, I'm sure Alphonse will find a way to help him out of it. Those two are thick as thieves, you know."

--- ---- ---

Grumbling under his breath, Ed made his way to the hotel they'd been staying at. His mind was churning once again, mostly with the question _why_. Why had be felt so afraid when he'd heard that Mustang was in the hospital. He'd panicked, fucking _panicked_. What did it matter to him what happened to his superior? The smug bastard deserved to have _some_ sort of punishment for his manipulative way, right? So why in the hells did Ed feel like a part of his chest had been ripped from him?

Once he made it to his room, he threw himself onto his bed, covering his head with his pillow as he tried to change his thoughts. No. What he felt was nothing more than _hormonal_. That was all. He was sixteen. His body didn't know any better…

So then, why did he have the overwhelming urge to cry? Not that he ever would, especially not over that bastard. But the point was, he _felt_ like crying.

--- --- ---

Alphonse stood outside Colonel Mustang's door, his head turning left and right, entirely unsure of what he should do. Follow Ed? No, Riza had made a good point when she suggested that he wait. So go in to visit the colonel, then? Interrogate him to find out what he possibly did to upset Ed in the first place?

Wouldn't that be a little awkward?

Al sighed heavily, his great shoulders slumping in defeat. "I guess I'll wait outside, then. The weather's nice today." He set off walking down the hall, his metal armour clanking loudly with every step.

--- --- ---

Night fell upon the city, darkness crawling in, hiding everything in it's gloom. The city was alive with the sounds of nocturnal creatures waking. Once again, those unique golden eyes blinked open and looked around. "Damn." Ed mumbled, realizing that he must have fallen asleep. The ever roaming eyes noticed that Alphonse wasn't in the room, and he grew a little worried. Where was his brother?

Pulling the blankets off his legs comforted Ed a little, having not intended on falling asleep, he hadn't used the blankets, which meant that Al must have come back at least once already. Well, he decided he might as well go look for him.

Predictably, Al was in the first place Ed looked for him – the library. "Hey Al." He said quietly.

During his time alone, he'd cried out, trying to silence the thoughts in his mind, trying to figure out what to do, how to respond to the feelings blossoming within him. Maybe it was time to confess. Not about Mustang being his every thought – no- no way in hell. But maybe about the other thing… the thing that could cause Al to turn him away forever, that could disgust his brother to the point of disownment.

Edward Elric had faced a lot in his time, chimeras, homunculi, a rudely woken Alphonse (back when he had his body), and of course, the gate, the creation he and Al had made, and the death of his mother. But none of that scared him as much as this did.

"I think…. I think I should tell you something…" He said quietly, hoping that his courage didn't leave him before he finished speaking. Even if Al did leave him, the boy had a right to know. He was his brother, and he knew him better than anyone. If anyone was going to figure it out on their own, it would be Al. It was better to hear it, than to figure it out, right?

"It's something important." He added, not lifting his eyes off the ground to look at his little brother. The tiles had an odd pattern of black and white, it was interesting… "And…it's sorta a big deal." This build up was huge. He was sure that it was only because a part of him was afraid of what Al would say, how he would react. And if he'd put two and two together and come up with Mustang.

"I dunno what you'll say about it… But… I don't want…. I don't want you to leave me over this…" Great, now his voice _and_ his body was trembling. He couldn't say anything more, not yet. He had to brace himself for this. Make sure that the last things he said to his brother were full of love.

Alphonse didn't turn around for all that his brother had said so far. Partly out of shock that Ed had come to him on his own, partly just because he was too intent on listening to make any action. But now that he could hear something in Ed's voice that seemed so upset by whatever this was, so overwhelmed...

Al started to panic. If there was really something this serious going on, everything Al had come up with was completely off. He should have noticed. He should have noticed more than just a "bad mood". He should have been able to see all of this coming. But even now, when Alphonse realized everything that he should have done to prevent something like this from happening to his brother, the only person he really had, he still couldn't begin to imagine what this "big deal" must be.

Alphonse's mind was racing as he finally turned to face his brother. Had Ed been arrested?

"Brother… Whatever it is, just tell me."

Had Ed found out that he and Al weren't really even related?

"You know you can trust me."

Did Ed kill an innocent person?

" We… have to stick together. No matter what."

Alphonse was determined to hear his brother out and stick to his word, no matter what tried to come between them.

Finding himself trembling slightly, Ed looked at his brother briefly before returning his golden gaze to the black and white floor. "It's… It's kinda hard for me to say…" He mumbled, his feet moving slightly as he nervously fiddled with his fingers. "And I don't want you to fly off the handle or anything, and I know that you think you'll always be here for me, no matter what. But if you don't want to see me after I said this, then that's okay too… I – I don't want you to have to deal with being around someone… like me… But- but don't worry. I'll still get your body back. I promise you." He lifted his gaze again, but couldn't seem to keep his eyes on Alphonse, instead they rose to the ceiling. He just hoped that it was dark enough in here, even with the candle, to hide the blush on his face.

"But… Something's been bothering me for a while. I know you've noticed… But… I didn't know how to tell you. I _still_ don't know how to tell you…" Taking a deep breath, he looked down again, finding the floor once again interesting. "I wonder what Winry'll say…" He half muttered to himself.

'_Winry?'_

Ed was getting off track. Alphonse held back a sigh and reminded himself to be patient. He knew there wasn't much more babbling Ed could possibly pull off before he finally had to own up to what he was trying to say. And Al was afraid that if he pushed him to spit it out that would just scare him off and then he would never find out. So, instead he balled his fists at his sides and bit back the urge to say any more.

'_Please, Brother… just tell me…'_

If the blonde didn't speak up soon, Alphonse thought he might just go crazy. He was already coming up with completely bizarre things in his panic - things as ridiculous as the possibility of Ed deciding to become a prostitute.

"I mean…" Ed continued, "She's always made it obvious that she… wants….me…" At those words, Ed's face grew warm, the pink tinge becoming a full on blush as he shook his head. "I don't want to disappoint her, but it wouldn't work…" He shook his head again. "Because… because…. Damn it!" He didn't seem to be able to say it.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried again, "Because I don't like girls." He said, knowing that he had to make himself perfectly clear, and couldn't leave it just hanging like that. If he did, he'd have to explain it to Al again later, and he didn't think he could handle that.

"I just…" He bit his lip before sighing, "I like guys…" Those words, the ones that had been so hard to get out, were spoken so quietly that Ed himself nearly didn't hear them. Realizing this, he spoke a little louder. "I think I'm gay, Al." He finished, standing as still as he could while still trembling. He didn't want to look up at Al. Even though his brother didn't have a face to make expressions with, those glowing eyes were literally windows into his soul. He didn't want to see Al disappointed in him.

So he lapsed into silence, wondering what his brothers' reaction would be.

The silence lasted a while because Alphonse just stared at his brother for a long, _long_ time. He knew now that he had never fully understood the expression "I can't believe my ears" until this moment. This moment when he found it legitimately difficult to accept that he had correctly heard his brother.

That couldn't be it. No, it had to be that Ed's life was in danger or something. Something worth worrying over. That… no. That just wasn't it. It couldn't be.

But… maybe it was.

Barely realizing it, Alphonse spoke. His tone was not surprised, not disgusted, but completely monotonous, "You're _gay_?"

Alphonse stepped forward suddenly, grabbing his brother by the front of his shirt. "That's _it_?" He started shaking the blonde. "You mean you didn't kill someone? We're still brothers? You were so worried over THAT when you're not even going to _jail_?!"

Al flung his arms around his big brother, lifting him off the ground from the intensity of the hug, and started laughing. An incredibly happy, relieved chime of a laugh.

How could he have been so afraid of losing such a knucklehead of a brother?

"Wha-" Ed lifted his head as Al grabbed him, and when he was lifted into the hug, he squeaked. Yes, that's right, Edward Elric, FullMetal Alchemist, Hero of the people, squeaked when his brother picked him up.

"Whadda ya mean, 'still broters'? And what about jail!? You think I'd be this upset about something as stupid as _jail_?" He flailed slightly, trying to get out of his brother's crushing grip. "Al, I can't breathe! Put me down!" He ordered.

When he was put back on his feet, he stared at his brother for a moment before speaking again. "So you really don't care?" he asked quietly, "I mean, you're not disgusted? Humiliated? You're brother's… your brother's a fag, a pansy, a fucking _fruit cake_." It was obvious by the way he was talking, by the tone of his voice, that at least one Elric brother was ashamed.

Ed wasn't sure how to go about his new self discovery. He knew that it was strange, and thought that it was terribly wrong for him to be this way. "You don't have to pretend you know," He added in a quieter voice, once again looking down. This time, it was to hide his own look of shame. "I mean… I wouldn't want to be around someone like me… It's- it's wrong Al. I'm wrong…"

His shoulders slumped as he tried to figure himself out. "I'm a screw up…It's probably Hohenheim's fault…" He added at the end, feeling the need to blame his bastard of a father for every wrong in his life.

Alphonse felt his heart sink when he saw the shame that his brother felt about this. Al was surprised that Ed was taking it this hard, and shocked that Ed was honestly worried about losing Alphonse's love over it. Sure, he hadn't been expecting his brother's confession to be about his sexuality, but didn't Ed know him better than that? What was so wrong about being gay that would make it come between them? If Al tried to count on both hands how many times they had undergone much worse threats to the brothers' relationship he would run out of fingers. Heck, if he added Ed's hand and feet, he would still run out of fingers… and toes.

Alphonse sighed. He wished he could better communicate everything he wanted Ed to know, he just couldn't figure out how. Still, he had to try.

"Brother… it's not disgusting and it's not wrong. I'm not _pretending_ to accept you. I'll always accept you, because you're my brother and you mean more to me than anything."

Ed shook his head, a soft smile on his face. "Thanks Al." He said, "You always know what to say." But his words weren't the truth. He wasn't completely convinced that Al didn't care, hell, _he _cared. But for now, he'd accept that his brother still loved him. He hadn't hit him, after all.

Shivering a little, he pulled his jacket tighter around him, only now realizing how late it really was. "I'm gonna head back." He said quietly, still trying to figure out his thoughts. He felt lighter, now that he'd confessed his sexuality to his brother. He finally had someone he could talk to about all of this. Maybe he'd help him figure out what exactly it was he had for Mustang… No. No way was Ed going to admit to feeling anything but annoyance towards his superior officer. "You gonna be okay here?" He asked, his voice showing his need to be alone for a little while.

His mind was still churning. Al thought it was alright, that it wasn't strange. But… But Al was still only a kid, right? He had nearly 15 years of experience behind him, but his body couldn't have aged, meaning that he still had whatever thought patterns a ten year old had. Was it possible that Al, even with his young mind, could have been wiser than Ed? Or was it more likely that it was a childish innocence, the belief that everything would always be alright? He smiled softly at his brother.

"I'll see you when you come back…" And with that, he left the library, making his way to their room and snuggling under his blankets.

--- --- --- End Part 2 --- --- ---


	3. Chapter 3

**He Brought Him Grapes**

Edited RolePlay By Interstella and 'Jordan'.

**Part Three**

Something was missing.

Mustang stood at the window, looking out at the dark city as he pulled his shirt sleeve over his arm. It was so quiet in the room. He couldn't quite put a finger on what it was that was missing but, in the deafening silence, it seemed to dance on the tip of his tongue. He used to enjoy the small amounts of peace and quiet he could manage to get his hands on, but nowadays it all just seemed so empty.

Roy sighed, closing his tired eyes. Maybe it was just that he had had a reasonable break and was ready to go back to work.

Yeah, right.

Roy pressed his forearm vertically against the cool glass of the window. He opened his eyes when he placed his forehead against his arm, looking out again into the night. Central was such a boring place. This hospital was painfully boring. The stark silence was aggravatingly boring.

Something was missing.

--- --- ---

Later in the night, Alphonse decided that he shouldn't stay out much longer without his brother. So, he headed back to the hotel. He hoped he had given Ed the time that he needed. When he arrived at the room, Al opened the door and tiptoed in the dark as quietly as a metal suit of armour could.

A soft moan came from the bed on the right, the one designated as Ed's. The small lump upon the bed shifted slightly, the blankets falling from him. "Ngnnh…" Both arms were above him, his back arched from the bed slightly and there was a definite bulge in his pyjama trousers.

Ed was having one hell of a dream.

His automail leg was raised slightly, and his other was spread, almost as if he was waiting for someone.

It took Alphonse a moment to comprehend what he was looking at before he completely froze in his place. If he could blush, he'd probably turn so bright a colour that _he'd_ have to be the one taken to the hospital.

Al had never seen his brother like this. It was so… so…

So not what he should be looking at.

He whipped around to face the opposite wall, both hands slapped over his 'mouth'. He couldn't believe how embarrassing this was, and couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would have to be for his brother. What was Al going do?! If he left the room, would that wake Ed up? If he went into the bathroom, would THAT wake Ed up? Hell, even just moving could make a noise that might have woken him up.

Alphonse had no other options.

He had to stay still.

Very still.

Until the morning… when he could pretend that he had just gotten home.

Another moan came from the bed, this one more desperate than the last, a soft 'please' worked its way from his lips as his hips thrust again, the bulge growing and becoming quite painful for him. "Please…" he moaned again, "R-ro-ahh!" After the final moan, he lay still, the distinct smell filling the room. His dream had caused him to come to completion. He rolled slightly, a soft content smile on his face.

--- --- ---

Morning came, and Ed woke feeling sticky and messy. He groaned as he sat up. He noticed Al and had to hide a blush as he made his way to the bathroom to clean up, hoping that Al hadn't witnessed his dream or at least, he hadn't figured out what happened.

Alphonse finally moved to a chair when the sun arose. That having been quite possibly the longest night he'd ever experienced, he was relieved to be able to start off a new day.

When Ed got up, he immediately went to the restroom, as expected. Alphonse saw no way that anything bad could possibly come of never speaking of this again. Ed would definitely be more comfortable if he went on believing that Al had never known about... _that._

Alphonse wouldn't have minded missing the show either. He felt like he might explode from embarrassment when he realized that he had started wondering who the dream had been about. Al had to come up with an excuse to get his mind off of it. So, when his brother came out of the bathroom he decided to speak up.

"Good morning, Brother." Alphonse thought back to when Ed had seen Roy in the hospital, knowing now why he had been in such a bad mood. Al wondered if he might want to pay the colonel a proper visit as a silent apology for the day before. Visiting familiar faces would be a nice way that Al could distract himself.

"I was thinking... we should probably go back to see Mustang. Even though he's not in any danger, he's still sick. And we could see if we have any time between now and your next mission. What do you think?"

At the sound of Roy's name, Ed couldn't help the flush that overcame his face. He wasn't sure if it was from the embarrassment of what had happened the day before when he'd seen Roy, or from the after effects of the dream. He was glad that Al would be with him though – he was sure that he wouldn't have been able to spend any time alone with Roy.

Coughing slightly, Ed nodded, adjusting the towel that was around his waist as he moved to pick up some clothes to wear. He didn't have any problems changing in front of his brother. They did it all the time, so he stripped and dressed himself carefully (he didn't wear any underwear with the leather trousers, so he had to be wary of how he put them on).

After dressing, he looked at Al. "You're… you're really okay? With me I mean…" He said quietly, "With the way I… the way I am…" He still didn't like admitting it, feeling that it was wrong. But this time, he kept his eyes on Alphonse, meeting the glowing eyes of Alphonse. "Are you sure you're okay with it?"

Alphonse looked at his brother and sighed gently, smiling inwardly. "Of course, brother. I told you I was, didn't I? Really, there's nothing wrong with it. And I hate to see you beating yourself up over this..."

Al stood up, looking down at his big brother. There was no one he was more proud of, or more indebted to. Alphonse just couldn't understand how Ed could think badly of himself when Al held him in such high favour. And none of this about his brother's sexuality changed a thing. After all, it's not as if Al still thought that Ed was going to keep his vow to marry Winry. When he thought about it, those were the only times that these kinds of subjects came up. It just went to show that when it came to changing their relationship, he had nothing to worry about.

"Come on, Brother." Al walked over and opened the door, his voice resonating his usual optimism; "Let's go."

--- --- ---

The rays of the sun pouring in through the window were glowing softly against pale skin when Mustang awoke to a twinge of pain in his neck. Groaning softly, he reached up to gently massage the sore muscles. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he had slept through the night in a seated position at the windowsill. He squinted at the sunlight draping across his face and shifted his weight off the wall so he could stand. His hair was tousled and it was apparent that he hadn't ever gotten around to buttoning his shirt. The last thing he could remember, actually, was pulling it on over his arms. He supposed that's when he fell asleep.

Roy closed his eyes again as he rolled his shoulders back a few times, trying to shake the nearly overwhelming grogginess. He tried smacking his cheeks a few times, but even so when he re-opened his eyelids, he couldn't keep them from drooping.

Dragging his feet against the floor he made his way over to the small dresser that the nurses had hung his clothes in. He may very well have stared at the interior of the dresser for a full two minutes before stretching his arms up toward the ceiling suddenly and letting out a yawn.

--- --- ---

Mustang took out his clothes and placed them on the bed. Noticing the papers on his night stand, he picked them up and scanned them over again. There was something about Ed's reports that made them more interesting than any others. Roy wondered if it had anything to do with the writing style, but it seemed that it wasn't the reading he enjoyed so much as merely gaining the knowledge of everything that had happened. He shrugged, tossing the papers back onto the table. Nothing abnormal. Wasn't that what reports were for anyway?

Roy slid his pants off and replaced them with a clean pair of boxers. He then turned his attention to the clothes on his bed. He placed his hands on his hips, his gaze still on the shirt and pants as if he were debating whether or not he should go through the trouble of getting dressed or not just yet. That's when he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Turning his attention to his new found interest, Roy bent down and picked up something small and round and held it up to the light.

A grape.

He must've missed one when he was cleaning up.

_"He bought you grapes..."_

Mustang's eyebrow furrowed at the thought. That was uncharacteristic of Ed. In fact, Roy wouldn't be surprised if the blonde actually went out of his way _not_ to get him gifts. It was part of the whole routine they had going. Ed reports to Roy, Roy comments on Ed's height, Ed erupts at Roy, Roy assigns Ed another mission, Ed becomes more irritated. They didn't do nice things for each other. They just didn't. Nothing so direct, anyway. And it never really got old.

Roy sat down at his spot on the window sill, rolling the grape between his thumb and index finger as he studied it. Something didn't seem quite right. He sighed and closed his eyes, tilting his head back against to wall and allowing the rays of the sun to dance against his exposed skin. The gentle warmth lulled him into a state of relaxation that reminded him how tempting it would be to sleep all day.

--- --- ---

Ed was silent during their walk to the hospital. He was trying hard to force all his feelings aside, just relying on that one, single emotion that he could truly understand. Anger. He could easily find something to be angry about, Roy was a self serving manipulative ass most of the time, and now, he was making an illness seem worse than it was, just to get out of paperwork, thus worrying him, and giving Al a few hints to work things out.

After his confession the night before, Ed was sure that Al would be able to figure out his… attraction to Roy. Even if it was only because of hormones, and the fact that Roy had simply been _there_ for him, it was still an attraction, and he could only hide it for so long.

He just hoped that it would go away before he did something to make it too obvious.

When they arrived at the hospital, the nurse manning the front desk was the same from the day before. She kept eyeing Edward suspiciously, unsure if she ought to allow him in to Colonel Mustang's room again after his last visit.

Ed glared at the nurse, managing to find the anger and hang onto it. He had to make sure that his mask didn't slip.

Walking in front of his brother, he made it into Roy's room before looking up. A soft gasp escaped him, and he froze, staring at the sight in front of him. Roy Mustang was sat on the windowsill in his underwear. The light from the early morning sun was streaming in through the window, giving him a halo like glow. His dark hair was mussed, but what got Ed was the way he was sat.

One leg was draped over the side of the windowsill, while the other was bent on top of it. An arm was resting over the bent knee, and in it, was a grape. One of the grapes he'd thrown at him.

Ed couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. He was sure that his body was doing all sorts of things he'd rather it wouldn't, and he could feel the heat in his face. Swallowing, he tried to put some moisture in his now dry mouth. He knew he was giving himself away, to Al if not to Mustang, but he couldn't help it, couldn't help but stare at the beauty before him.

But as he stared, he noticed each and every exposed muscle, the expanse of creamy white skin, the hint of curly dark hairs just above the waistband of his trousers. He wanted to know what it would feel like, how soft it would be to his touch. He ached to reach out and find out how Mustang would react under his fingers. Would he gasp and arch into the touch? Would he moan? Would he return the gesture, stroking and kissing Ed in the way that Ed wanted to do to him.

Now, he was fully aware that his trousers were getting uncomfortable. But still, he couldn't move. He couldn't shift his position to make it less obvious. All he could do was stare at Roy.

Alphonse had walked in behind his brother, briefly noticing Mustang on the window sill before his attention had turned to Edward.

"Brothe–" Al stopped suddenly, seeing the look on his brother's face. He followed Ed's train of sight back to Mustang, who had at least the decency to be wearing underwear - thank god.

That's when it clicked in his mind. All the pieces of the puzzle came together and a little voice in the back of Alphonse's head reminded him that he better report back to Super Secret Spy Headquarters.

How could he have not put two and two together sooner? He nearly hit himself. It was so obvious - Ed might as well have been drooling all over the floor. That's why he was nervous to return to central. Roy was the reason why Ed rushed to the hospital and why he was throwing fruit!

Alphonse was so pleased with himself, he almost didn't notice Edward's problem downstairs - almost. And when he did, another realization came to mind.

Alphonse tip-toed backwards out of the room slowly and shut the door.

At the sound of an opening door, Roy began to stir. He heard footsteps barely going anywhere before they came to an abrupt stop. How odd.

Roy slowly opened his eyes, turning his head to face his guests.

Edward Elric was the last person he was expecting to see, but Roy's mind was far too fogged with sleep to show any reaction. So for a moment he remained calm as he stared back into those golden eyes that were so heatedly staring at him.

The sound of the door opening and closing once again echoed through the room.

Roy blinked. Once... twice...

His eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion before his eyes took on a look of realization.

"FullMetal?" he asked as he sat up further in his seat. Ed still didn't move.

Mustang arched an eyebrow. Jesus, the kid was staring at him like he was God. Suddenly feeling cold, Roy looked down. Oh, that's right. He had forgotten to get dressed.

The colonel lifted his head slightly, looking up through his bangs. "I don't suppose... you ever considered knocking?"

It took Ed a considerable effort to get his mouth to work, to be able to swallow enough to use his voice, but when he did, all that came out was a strangled sound. His body, which had remained completely still for the most part, now started trembling with desire and need. No. This was wrong, it had to stop.

"S-Sorry!" He exclaimed, finally able to remove his eyes from Roy. Without his gaze on Roy, the hypnotism was broken and control over his limbs returned to him. Without a second thought, he turned and fled from the room, the door slamming behind him. Noticing his brother in the hallway, he gave him a nervous smile as he passed, never slowing on his quest to find a private bathroom. Somewhere where he could get rid of the painful throb in his trousers.

He knew things were going to change now, he'd be unable to look at Mustang without remembering him in his state of undress, wearing nothing but his boxers. That image would forever be burned into his retinas, to haunt him every time he closed his eyes.

Once he reached the private bathroom adjacent to the public one, he closed the door behind himself and locked it, leaning against it for a moment. He had to get over this. There was no way that he could continue on with this crush, it was ruining him! He assumed that Al had figured it out, the youth wasn't exactly an idiot, and he also knew that Al wouldn't go blabbing to Roy. But he was still afraid that Roy would realize.

He'd brought him grapes, after all.

--- --- ---

A vein was throbbing at the colonel's temple. That was the second time Ed had sneaked into his room while Roy was sleeping, done something impossible to explain, and run away without an explanation.

Well, not this time.

Roy jumped down from the window and walked over to his bed (remaining mindful of possible booby traps that Hawkeye had undoubtedly set up). At the success of making it safely to his clothes, he hurriedly pulled them on and ran out the door. Jerking his head left and right, Roy's eye caught a gleam of reflecting light. Alphonse Elric stood not five feet down the hall.

"Alphonse! Where is your brother?!" His voice, low and threatening, boomed against the walls and resonated down the hall. Colonel Roy Mustang was pissed.

Al jumped slightly in surprise at the yell. Not sure quite how to respond, he merely pointed a timid finger in the direction of the restrooms. Roy was gone in a flash.

The door to the men's restroom was kicked in and after it marched Mustang.

"Ed!! Where the hell are you?!" Starting from the first cubicle, Roy systematically went down the row, kicking all the doors in one by one to find that little... well, whatever he was, he was certainly little!

Hearing a commotion from the bathroom next to the private one that he was in, Ed frowned. When he heard his name called, he froze again before opening the door and exiting the room. Thankfully, the shock of hearing Roy call his name like that was enough to deflate him. "I-I'm h-here…" He managed to squeak out, leaning against the door in case he needed to hide behind it.

Really, he was acting like a coward! But what else could he do? He was terrified of Roy finding out what Ed wanted. He trembled a little, staring up at the other, feeling more tiny than he'd ever felt in his life.

"I-I – uh… D-Did you like your grapes?" He asked quietly, trying to change the subject that hadn't even been started.

Hearing Ed's voice, Roy whipped around to face him instantly. He shot daggers at the blond with his glare as he walked over to stand in front of him. The walls made a loud "bang" sound when the Flame Alchemist slammed his hands against it, on either side of Edward's head.

FullMetal was so lucky that the Flame didn't have his gloves on.

Mustang lowered his voice to a growl, "Care to tell me what exactly is going on?"

His body was bent over so that Roy could look Ed directly in the eye, leaning his weight against his hands on the wall. The drowsiness was gone, and he now emanated strength. He was feeling a hell of a lot better.

Trembling even more, Ed stared up at Roy, his breath coming out in short pants as he tried to slow down his heart. Swallowing, he felt his eyes close as he moved closer to Roy, automatically leaning up as if to kiss him. But pulling back, he shook his head, trying to regain his senses. "L-Let me go…" he was trembling further, his emotions pushing to the surface as he tried to hold them back. He was so lost and confused, and the last thing he wanted was to have Roy figure it out.

Unbidden tears fell from his eyes as he tried to pull away, turning his head. He didn't want Roy to see his face, to see how he was feeling, how afraid he was for Roy to figure out that he had a crush on him.

Hell, it could probably turn into more than a crush.

"P-please…Colonel…" He managed to gasp out, knowing full well that his body was responding in other ways to Roy's proximity. Hopefully, Roy wouldn't notice until Ed could safely get away.

Seeing tears fall down Ed's cheeks, Roy's expression suddenly changed. He was shocked. Having the kid start crying was the last thing he expected... or intended.

"Ed?" Roy shifted out of his dominating stance to cup the boy's cheek in his hand, gently turning his head to face him. "What's gotten into you? ...What's wrong?"

He didn't know why he felt his heart clench, or why he suddenly had the urge to wrap his arms around the smaller boy and protect him... from everything

As soon as he felt Roy's hand on his cheek, Ed's entire body stiffened. He allowed himself to be guided into looking at Roy, and instantly wished he hadn't. The man was looking at him with such intense eyes, like he just wanted to… do something. Ed couldn't be sure what, but there was a spark of determination behind those impossibly dark eyes.

His flesh hand raised on its own to cover Roy's for a second before he nudged it away. "G-Get away." He ordered weakly, wanting the other to leave before he acted impulsively. "For once in my life, I'm thinking before acting, so just let me go before that changes!" He ordered, still trembling and longing to lock himself into the bathroom, to hide away and take care of himself. The longer he stayed in Roy's arms, the more likely it was that Roy would notice the little problem that had returned to him, as soon as he became trapped by the older man.

"I don't want you to know! I don't want you to know! So just go _away!_" He was weakly punching Roy's chest now, dealing no damage as his emotions finally came free. "I'm sick! I'm wrong! I'm disgusting and I don't want you to know! I don't want you to know!"

His tears had quickly dried up, leaving confusion, shame and anger in its wake. Why did he have to feel like this for a guy, for _Roy_ of all people? Why couldn't normal things happen to him? Was he destined to live his life out as being an outcast? Why couldn't he just feel like settling down with Winry, having a nice family? Why did he have to let himself down all the time?

The thoughts churning in his head caused the outburst that had him angrily punching his superior's chest, had him pinned against a wall, feeling like the entire foundation of his existence was crumbling around him. "Why can't I be normal?" he asked himself, not realizing he was still talking out loud. "Why can't I get _normal_ feelings! Why does everything have to happen to me!?"

The hands stopped punching, instead they clutched at Roy's shirt, groping for some sort of comfort. His mind wasn't completely comprehending what was going on anymore. It was like he wasn't really there, and all that existed was his thoughts, his feelings. He'd forgotten just who it was that he was holding on to.

"Please, just let _one_ normal thing happen to me… Let me pretend that I can be just like everyone else, even if it's just for a minute. I don't want to feel like this anymore. I don't want to _be_ like this anymore." The trembling had never stopped, but now, it seemed to have grown worse. "Why can't I just like girls….?" He pulled himself closer to Roy, the words being whispered into his chest as he held on tightly, trying to understand his own feelings while receiving some sort of comfort from somebody he trusted. "Please, just let me be _right_."

His words seemed to be slowing down, like he'd said everything he needed to say. The pleas, the begging, it had all been a way for him to sort out the questions, ask them to himself. He felt like falling to his knees and begging the gate to just take away all his impure thoughts, to remove what he believed to be evil from him. The gate thought of equivalent exchange, but what if Ed offered it those parts of his being without asking something in return?

Dimly, he was aware that he had warm tears on his cheeks. When had he started crying again? But right then, it didn't matter, all that mattered was that he felt safe, felt warm and protected. He didn't' know why, and he didn't care to ask, but a soft sense of blissful emptiness covered him, as if he'd finally thrown all the questions that had been building up out of his system.

He was completely unaware that he'd begged and pleaded out loud, and he had no knowledge of who's chest he was currently pressed upon, or who's shirt he'd successfully rumpled, or that the problem he'd faced before had died down, causing his trousers to once again become slack.

At some point during the breakdown, his metal arm had gone around Roy and he was holding himself as close to the other as possible, as if the colonel would somehow save him from the emotional torrent that had overpowered him.

Long since forgotten was the fact that Roy was actually sick, not just faking it completely. Right then, for the first time since he was very young, Ed allowed himself to be incredibly selfish.

Roy stared wide-eyed at the boy in his arms. What the hell had just happened? At some point, Ed had started begging and pleading with the colonel that he could just be... normal. Where had all of that come from?

Roy closed his eyes and shook his head. No. That was a stupid question. He knew what the blonde had been through, it was only natural that he would feel he wasn't normal. Roy felt a particularly painful thump in his chest. He remembered back to when he had first gone to see Ed, when he was laying unconscious and covered in bandages in the Rockbell home. He thought about when Ed had taken his entrance exam and everyone was sure he would fail, but Roy saw something in him that was missing in the rest. Mind racing, he shifted through the memories of times when Ed had returned from a particularly disturbing mission, and every time Roy had given him his firm "we dogs of the military just need to learn to suck it up" speech... and all the times he hadn't really meant it.

It was no surprise that the Hero of the People would be feeling like this... the surprise was that he was admitting it.

The surprise was that he was here, in Colonel Roy Mustang's arms, clinging to him and crying into his chest, allowing himself to be completely open and vulnerable, and for once, allowing himself to act his age.

Mustang wrapped his arms more tightly around the smaller boy. Roy had been through a lot in his lifetime, especially since joining the military, but he knew that he had never felt his heart clench quite like this.

"Oh, Ed...," he muttered gently. Roy couldn't bare to see him like this, but he also couldn't seem to bare letting him go. Feeling the hot tears soaking through his shirt once again, the colonel fell to his knees slowly and just sat there, holding an angel in his arms.

Feeling the strong arms around him, Ed relaxed a little. With his outburst over, he felt oddly calm, as if he didn't have to worry anymore. Loosening his grip on the other, Ed just let himself be held, keeping his face pressed against Roy's chest.

They sat that way for a while, it could've been only minutes, it could've been hours, Ed didn't know. All he knew was that he didn't want to be let go.

"Sorry." He mumbled, realizing that this was the first time he'd apologized to the colonel. But then, it was the first time he'd had a mental breakdown. He kept leaning against the other though, feeling quite safe. "I'll get you more grapes…" he didn't know why he was obsessing over the grapes.

Now, he finally shifted, but instead of pushing Roy away, he snuggled a little closer, shuffling on the man's lap. He was feeling a little more… happy. It was only then that he realized he was sat on Roy. "I… I should get off you." He said quietly, making no move to follow his words. "Why…. Why are you holding me…?" He asked, not that he couldn't remember his out burst, but why was Roy acting so nice when he'd previously been so angry. "Why are you being so nice?"

_"I'll get you more grapes..."_

Roy chuckled. He could feel Ed relaxed against him, and could tell that he felt better, but Roy still didn't let go. He supposed he was just afraid of a relapse. But, even with that reason for himself, when Ed asked the simple question "Why?" Well, he didn't even know why he couldn't answer.

Why _was _he being so nice? Hadn't he just been telling himself how the two of them just didn't _do _nice things for each other? Even so, it didn't really seem to matter at this moment. Holding Ed gave him and indescribable feeling. It was inexplicably blissful. Mustang began to wonder why he'd never tried it out before and proceeded to make a mental note to do it more often.

When the colonel came to terms with the fact that he really had no idea how to give the boy a proper answer to his question, he settled with the decision to avoid it all together. Roy pressed his nose gently into the blonde hair and, smiling slightly, muttered against it, "Hn... shut up, Squirt."

Ed stiffened slightly, the emotions returning to him full force because of that simple statement. Squirt. Why was he making jokes about his height _now _of all times?! A quiet growl worked its way from his throat, his normal anger intensified by his confused thoughts.

Pulling back from Mustang, he got to his feet and glared down at the other. '_Well_,' he thought, '_that's a first. I'm looking _down_ at Mustang.'_

"You say something like that _now_?" He asked in a quiet, deadly voice, obviously pissed, and more than a little hurt. Roy had seen him at his most vulnerable, and had still teased him about a very sensitive issue. The fact that Ed was well and truly head over heals in his first real crush, really didn't help.

Somehow managing to prevent himself from bursting into what Al often referred to as a 'shorty rant', Ed swallowed and took a deep breath before speaking, his voice still in that deadly tone, warning him not to push him right now. "You know what, fuck it." He said between gritted teeth. "I don't know why I cared about you in the first place. You'll always be a bastard." And with that, he walked steadily back to Al, not caring that his face was still red from his break down, or that he had very obviously been crying. Right then, all he wanted to do was leave.

Alphonse looked down at his brother who had just emerged from the bathroom. He didn't look happy.

A wave of guilt flooded the young boy's mind, knowing full well that whatever had happened was all his fault. He was the one that decided to come here, and for his own selfish reason to get his mind off something that may have been "a little embarrassing". Now, Ed was upset and Al was to blame.

"Brother..." He started, without quite knowing how to finish.

_'I'm sorry.'_

_'What happened in there?'_

_'Do really have a crush on Mustang?'_

_'Are you ok?'_

_'Do you hate me now?'_

--- End Part 3 ---


	4. Chapter 4

**He Brought Him Grapes**

Edited RolePlay By Interstella and 'Jordan'.

**Part 4**

Roy blinked, shocked that he was no longer holding a FullMetal Alchemist. As he tilted his head up to look at the boy, he let his mouth fall open slightly upon hearing what he had to say. Had he really taken offense to that?

Shit.

Only just then registering the fact that Ed was already headed for the door, Mustang hurried to his feet, intent on catching up with him. "Ed, wait!"

Roy didn't like this. This wasn't Ed - he was acting completely different. Roy couldn't stand to see him feelings so wrong, he needed to see the Ed that he knew.

Suddenly realizing something, Mustang stopped dead in his tracks. What was he _thinking_? He "_needed_" Ed to feel better? Damn it, Ed needed to stop with the pity party so he could keep up with his _job_, not for Mustang. Roy could care less about Ed's mood swings as long as they didn't get in the way of his duty to the military. So why, when Ed was free of assignments at the time, did Roy see the as such an issue?

Edward's voice seemed to echo in the colonel's mind, _"I don't know why I cared about you in the first place. You'll always be a bastard."_

Roy covered his eyes with his hands, feeling a headache coming on. He felt like he had just come down from an adrenaline high and now his system was failing. A freezing heat began it's decent down from the top of his head to his toes, causing him to feel dizzy. His eyes stung and his stomach clenched. He felt like total crap.

Abruptly turning on his heel, Mustang heaved and puked into the nearest toilet.

Hearing Mustang's voice, Ed stopped and turned to look at him. Less than a minute after he turned, Mustang ran to the bathroom and Ed could hear him throwing up. Nice. He'd just had to rub in how sick Ed made him, how disgusted he made him.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to prevent himself from getting upset. Seeing his brother, he felt his lips tremble as he felt another wave of emotion wash over him. "C-c'mon Al." he said quietly, his voice trembling. "Lets leave the fucktard to his vomiting."

Without turning around, he continued on, not even looking back to see if Al was following.

--- --- ---

Once he got to their hotel, he turned to Al, swallowing a little. "H-Hey Al… Can… Can I have a little time alone?" He asked quietly, making it obvious that he was struggling to control his emotions. "I-I just need to settle down." He looked down at the ground, not wanting to look at Al as he shuffled his feet, his automail foot making a small clanking sound as he stood on it.

Alphonse sighed gently, nodding his head, "Alright, Brother. I'll just be looking around town, then."

He watched to make sure his brother made it into the hotel before sighing once more and making his way towards the marketplace.

--- --- ---

When Roy had finished hurling his guts out and gone back to his room, he found himself staring at the ceiling again. How annoying to have to relapse the day before returning to work. Roy rubbed his aching temples in circles in an attempt to calm his mind.

He was trying to make some sense out of what had happened with Ed. As he closed his eyes, pieces of everything that had happened in the past two days wove themselves together. Bits of conversations and pictures of actions blipped across his mind like data on a screen. The data systematically divided to find the pieces that fit into the subject of Edward Elric, and then those memories would divide and place themselves into less generalized folders.

Roy frowned at how closely this method resembled that of filing paperwork. Nevertheless, he watched from behind his eyelids as the process continued until all the facts - and a few small assumptions - finally made sense and he had come to his conclusion.

Mustang opened his eyes. "Oh. So that's why he brought the grapes."

--- --- ---

Spending time in his room, once again contemplating his feelings towards Roy, Ed found himself feeling more and more depressed. After about two hours of sitting in his room alone, he stood and left. He had a small plan forming in his head. He just had to confront Roy about it, and make him piss him off enough to turn these feelings of lust (because Ed had finally admitted to himself that yes, he wanted to sleep with Mustang. He wanted to pound him into the mattress and get pounded in return), into anger.

So with his mind made up, he made his way back to the hospital. Getting to the room took much less effort than letting himself _in_ the room. "Mustang." He said as he walked in.

Staring at the older man defiantly, he took a deep breath before speaking to him. "I need to hate you." He said, "I need to be so pissed off with you, that the only reason you're not dead is because I make it a point not to kill people if I don't have to." He took a breath before continuing. "Because if I don't hate you, things are going to get really awkward, really quickly. And I've never confessed to anyone before, so I dunno how to do it, but I guess I just did. So yell at me, call me disgusting, call me weird and creepy, insult me, make me feel like I'm two inches tall!" He looked down as he spoke, "because I can't look at you. I can't look at you without wanting to do things that are really wrong, that should never be done, _especially _not between two guys." He coughed a little then, using his bangs to hide the flush on his face.

"So please," Okay, he didn't like the begging tone that was in his voice, it reminded him too much of his earlier meltdown, none the les, he continued, "please make me hate you."

Mustang looked over to the opening door and allowed his eyes to follow the boy to where he stopped in the middle of the room. It was sad, really, how accustomed he'd become to people walking in and out as they pleased.

Before he could open his mouth to remind the intruder that he had once again failed to knock, Ed spoke up on his own.

Mustang stared at the boy, listening intently to everything that came out of his mouth, patiently taking it all in. He even stayed silent when Ed had finished talking, just to make sure that he really was done. Only then did Roy shift to lean his elbow on the night stand, and rest his cheek against his fist. He studied what he could see of Ed's face for just a moment before taking note of the rest of his body language; the way he stood, whether his hands fiddled nervously, how long his feet could stay still.

"Hm..." Slowly, Roy shifted his body around, placing his feet on the ground and standing up off the mattress. Everything that had happened since Ed's returned was so hectic, this didn't come as nearly as much of a surprise. Actually, this was the most expected thing the blonde had done so far. Leave it to Edward to confront someone about the desire to be pissed at them. But Roy wasn't an idiot. He new that this time it was still, different, Ed was still uncomfortable, still upset, and now Roy finally knew why.

He walked towards Ed, only stopping when he stood not but a foot in front of him. He knew what Ed wanted from him, what he expected him to do. He knew what he otherwise would or should be doing in this situation... but maybe it was just that he was feeling rebellious.

"You're impossible," he muttered as he leaned down and pressed his lips to Ed's.

As soon as the action took place, Ed froze, his entire body stood still, save for his eyes that went impossibly wide. After less than a second, he was arguing with himself, his instincts verses his …well…other instincts. Part of him was saying how wrong this was, how both Roy and Ed were men, how this couldn't work, and the other part of him, the much smaller, more passionate side, was saying how nice it felt to feel liked.

Eventually, it was the first part that won out. Fury piled in him as he pushed Roy back roughly, glaring at the other while breathing deeply. "What the hell!?" He shouted, taking a hasty step back. His expression was that of somebody betrayed, like he'd been hurt. "No! You can't do that!" He yelled, finally settling on a single expression, fear. He looked terrified, and indeed he was, but he wasn't afraid of Roy. No. He was afraid of himself. His body had reacted strongly to that small kiss, and he knew that it would take only a little more pushing to be goaded into doing what his body and heart desired.

But his mind craved to be normal. And this was anything but.

"That's gross! Disgusting… You're supposed to be pissed at me! To find me repulsive! And don't give me any crap about wanting me back, I know you, I know your reputation!" he was still walking backwards, even though his back had now pressed against the wall. It looked like he was trying to walk through the concrete structure, just to get away from Roy without having to turn his back on him.

Mustang narrowed his eyes at Ed's ridiculous behaviour. What, did he think he was going to make it past the drywall and concrete?

"You're the one that wanted to be upset with me." Roy was starting to wonder why the fuck he had tried that in the first place. Hell, he'd wondered it as he was about to do it. Now he just felt slightly confused, and a little ticked. Maybe the nurses had given him the wrong medication.

"You're welcome," He added, almost as an afterthought.

Despite his annoyance, Roy didn't seem to find it in him to regret what he had done. Logically, he knew he shouldn't have, but he new what regret _felt_ like. This wasn't it. It should have been, it just wasn't. Roy frowned at himself. Ed was freaking out. He didn't feel embarrassed, but definitely felt something was wrong.

Let's see. The younger one didn't want it, but the older one did it anyway...

Did that count as molestation?

A humourless, sour chuckle came from Ed, the sound cold and fearful. "You really are a bastard." He said, "And you're an idiot too. Do you think I _want_ to be like this? To be a freak? To be completely and utterly _wrong_ on the most instinctual level?" Now he was laying out all his fears, his homophobia, letting the other man know why this couldn't happen. "I'm _gay_ Mustang." He said the word as if it left a sour taste in his throat, like it was the hardest thing to say out loud. "And you're not helping…"

He finally pulled away from the wall, but only by half a step. "Because now I have a taste. Well thank you very much!" He was being sarcastic now, a rage filling him to the bone. This was what he wanted, he wanted to be pissed at Roy. But… "I wanted to be pissed at you so I could fucking get _over_ you. Now I just want to get _under_ you! That did _not_ help at all!" Shaking his head, he headed to the door. "I don't know why I keep coming to you for help." He mumbled on his way out before leaving the room, "You just seem to fuck it up one way or another."

He managed to somehow hide his trembling until he made it out into the corridor. Just outside the door to Roy's room, and slightly to the left, he was out of sight and collapsed to his knees, holding his arms around himself as he tried to stop from feeling the way he was now. He needed to calm down, both from the emotional torrent running through him, and from the physical effects of having Mustang kiss him.

Ed was sat against the wall beside Roy's door, his legs up to his chest and his head leaning on his knees. He was trembling, _again_. "Damnit!" He yelled, punching the wall beside him. He really felt like he was out of place, like this was wrong.

But then he started to ask the question why.

Why was it wrong to feel like this for a guy? Was it just because the sex was awkward, and potentially a _lot_ more messy than the standard kind? Why was it strange?

He didn't know why he was still there, maybe deep down he was waiting for Roy. Maybe he needed to be accepted for the way he was… but who would do that? He was… wrong.

He didn't look up from where he was sat, feeling incredibly childish and wistful.

--- --- ---

Roy rubbed his temples once again. Of course Ed ran away again. Why couldn't things ever work out easy for him? Why was there always something that he felt obligated to fix?

Immediately feeling like the biggest douche he had ever been in his 29 years, Roy skipped past the mental punishment and jumped right to physically slapping himself in the face to put an end to the selfish train of thought. He wouldn't allow himself to think _he_ had problems when there was kid outside who was probably crying. Roy rubbed the palm of his hand down his face, sighing. He didn't know whether the next "why" question that came to mind was more or less acceptable.

Why did this one thing seem like it was possibly the most important of them all?

Ed had told Roy that he was gay as if it was news to the colonel, as if he hadn't already figured it out and was really just teasing him with that kiss. In reality, Roy would have liked to think of it that way, that it had just been a joke. But he couldn't bring himself to believe it. He remembered moving closer to Ed, not knowing what he was doing or why he was doing it but not finding the urge or care to stop.

Mustang walked to his door but didn't go any further. In some ways, it would be best for Roy to swallow his pride and follow Ed so he could apologize; In others, the best thing for Ed was to be left alone. He was definitely in a predicament... because Roy really did want to hold him again.

He pressed his forehead to the wood of the door, the cool material soothing his slightly throbbing head. He thought about how much Ed had emphasized how "disgusting" he was, how "wrong" it was for him to be with a man. It wasn't just Roy that he was disgusted with for kissing him... Ed was so upset lately because he couldn't accept himself, and couldn't stand the way he was. How had he convinced himself of that? How could someone live with constantly thinking that way?

Roy stepped back from the door, finally making the decision to turn the knob. If he wasn't going out to comfort Ed, he was at least going to slap some sense into him. He'd done it before.

Stepping out into the hall, Mustang nearly fell over when he saw that Ed was only just outside his door, and had been this whole time.

Now that he was aware of what Ed felt for him - or at least for what was in his pants - he couldn't help but wonder about himself as he looked down at the blonde. Honestly, he'd never really thought about it before...

Ed leaned back against the wall, his eyes noticing Roy standing there, watching him. "What?" He asked quietly, a little drained now. He didn't want to run anymore, but it was instinctual for him to get away to collect his feelings – if he couldn't just hit them with his right arm that was…

"I don't have the energy for this anymore colonel." He said, still looking up. He was still trying to figure himself out, trying to work past the shame.

After a moment, he looked down again, "I don't want to be like this anymore." He said, repeating his earlier words, "Just tell me how to be normal, how to stop feeling these things…" He lowered his head so that his chin was on his arms, that were no on top of his legs. "Teach me how to like girls…" He demanded quietly.

"Teach you how to like girls?" Mustang's tone clearly expressed his opinion that Ed's request may very well have been the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. Lowering himself to the ground next to Ed, Roy pulled his feet in Indian style and sighed softly.

"I don't have the energy for this either, you know, Ed. It certainly took me long enough to figure out why in God's name you were pelting me with grapes, while I slept - In my hospital bed, might I add." Roy turned his head to look at Ed. "Anyway, I don't know how you got it into your head that being gay means the end of the world, but you need to get it out. Get over it, accept yourself, and Ed, please, for the love of God, stop trying to be normal. Any 'normal' person, by whatever your definition, is more correctly described as 'abnormal'. They are the overwhelming minority of the world and by no means happy or pleasant to be around. Understand?"

Remembering the "squirt" incident, Roy decided to avoid adding an 'Any normal person would have to be at least three inches taller' comment - at least for now.

Ed shook his head, disagreeing with Roy. "It's not right." He said, "Ever since I was a little kid, I've been thinking 'when I grow up, I'll marry Winry and have kids'. But I can't do that. That'd be wrong to her." He pulled his legs closer, not looking at Roy. "I want at least one thing in my life to be normal." He laughed bitterly, "I can't even _dream_ normally anymore. It's like _you_ take up too much space in my head, and my dreams are mocking me for it, showing me what I want but can never have…" He was flushed red at the admission, realizing that he'd practically told Roy that he had sex dreams about him.

"Dreaming that stuff _isn't_ normal." He mumbled, lowering his head again so that it was hidden by his arms.

"And _you_." He began to speak again, "You're not helping. Now I _know_ there's no way I'll have normal dreams, not for a while. And what's the big deal on kissing anyway, it just feels weird." Roy had given him his first kiss, and Ed honestly believed that that was all that happened in a kiss, the placing of lips together. He had no idea about the other way of kissing, about how exciting it could be.

Roy fought back the urge to remark on Ed's dreams about him. It was surprisingly difficult not to be able to tease that blonde, but Roy didn't want him to take it seriously. However, when Ed commented on kissing, he couldn't help but chuckle as he smirked slightly.

"What's the big _deal_?You've never kissed anyone before, have you, Ed?" The colonel couldn't help but think of all the ways he could show the blonde how pleasurable a kiss could really be. He shook his head gently as if to clear it. Maybe Ed's dreams were contagious. But it wasn't the new thoughts about FullMetal that had him worried, it was his age. Now that Roy was thinking clearly, he knew now that he had to ignore the urges that Ed - 13 years younger in age - had recently inspired. Being with Ed was wrong, the colonel knew that, especially when Ed didn't _really_want it. But being gay in general... why was that such a crime?

He sighed gently, leaning his head back against the wall and gazing up at the ceiling. Another white ceiling. Of all the times for the kid to be stubborn.

"You know, Ed... you're not the only one with desires that can't be controlled."

"Yeah?" Ed said, a little sarcastically, "I know you have desires, you're Central's number one skirt chaser." He said, "But at least your desires are _normal_." He shook his head and sighed. "I just… don't get it. Why am I like this? Does everything strange have to happen to _me?" _He asked.

Thinking back to what Roy said, Ed shook his head, "And yeah. I've been kissed. By you." He said pointedly, "And frankly it sucked." Finally, he turned his head to look Roy directly in the eyes. "But why did it have to be _you_? Why are _you_ the one I want. I mean, I've had crushes before… I used to blush every time Havok talked to me… But I got over those in a matter of days…" He sighed again, feeling a lot more drained than he should. "And I _never_ wanted to do some of the things I think of." At that, his face went beat red. He could just imagine what he wanted from Roy, what he wanted them to do to each other. But then, he started thinking… Everyone had been going on about how soul reaching a kiss could be, and they were all obviously exaggerated, so what if they'd exaggerated sex? What if sex was as boring as kissing? That would certainly explain the weird fetishes people had.

What was the big deal.

"Maybe I'm just curious." He continued, "Maybe I just want to know what it's like, so that I can forget about it and get over you." He bit his bottom lip. "When I… when I first started to think of you…" he stuttered a little there, "I thought it'd be like the others… That I just admired you… but… damn it… what is it about you?" He asked, "Why won't this go away? And why did I have to fall for a guy!" At that point, he put his hands over his head, as if trying to hide from the world.

"You and Al, you're both telling me that it's not wrong to be gay, but it _is_." He said, "It's not _natural_." Awkwardly, he shook his head in his arms. "I just… don't understand."

And there it was. The true reasons behind his homophobia. He was a scientist, he didn't like things that he didn't understand, that he couldn't figure out. It didn't fit for him.

Since when had Ed started admitting everything to Mustang? It seemed so... different. And to be honest, all the mentions of what Ed wanted to do with Roy was making it hard to focus. Was it just him, or was it getting hotter in the hall?

Mustang subtly shifted a little farther away from the blonde and reminded himself that he was completely under control. He just needed to help Ed get his head on straight and then go straight to bed. By himself.

"Look, Ed. Emotions can't be explained with logic... or science. But they're still _natural_. No one person has the same emotions as another, but it makes them who they are." Roy kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling. It was getting harder to look directly at Ed by the minute.

Roy always knew that he would be able to swing both ways but never thought about t enough to wonder if it was wrong. He actually found it funny that Ed had apparently had a thing for Havoc at some point, Roy actually caught himself checking Havoc out over his stack of paperwork in the office every now and then. So did that mean that Roy was disgusting? He frowned at that thought. Did Ed honestly think he was the _only one _that wasn't a heterosexual?

"I don't know anymore." Ed mumbled, turning his head and looking at Roy. "Why do you even care? If you get me to accept myself, it's more likely that I'm gonna make moves on you…" The small smile that was on his face showed the other that it had been a weak attempt at a joke. Ed didn't even know _how_ to hit on people.

He sighed softly and leaned back against the wall, feeling a little more relaxed. He didn't know why, but Roy being close to him and talking to him without insulting him was comforting. Too bad this couldn't last. Ed could tell Roy was wanting to call him short, or insult him in another way.

Turning his head, while still leaning it against the wall, he frowned slightly as he looked at Roy. "What's wrong with you?" He asked, noticing his flushed state and the way he was shifting uncomfortably. "You're not the one having a crisis of …sexuality." He pointed out, having trouble getting the last word out.

Mustang nearly rolled his eyes. "That's because it's _not_ a crisis, Ed. I'm already aware of my sexuality. And anyway..." Roy smirked slightly, "Having you hit on me would definitely be something to see. Besides... I'd like to see you feeling better and back to normal again. To be honest, all this with taking me seriously all the time is a little unnerving."

Roy forced himself to look Ed in the eyes. He really was adorable. Roy thought he might just have to bump him up on the list of who to keep an eye on one above Havoc. Looking never hurt anybody anyway.

"So... do you still want me to make you angry?"

Still watching Roy, Ed waited for a moment before speaking, "I don't know." He said, "You're right, talking like this is… damn weird…" He said, "I mean, it's not helping with my situation, and even when I'm angry with you I still want to do things to you…" He told him quietly, still completely serious. "I mean, I've heard of angry sex but…" And then, he shut up, his face growing bright pink. He mumbled something under his breath about walls not being sturdy enough, and buried his head in his arms again.

"Part of me wants to hate you because of how you've made me feel." He continued talking, his voice muffled slightly by his arms. "I want to hate you for making my mind spin like this, for making me want to do _really wrong things_... But… But I can't!" The last word was frustrated, "No matter how much you fucking insult me, how much you manipulate me for your own needs, I just can't hate you." He pulled his knees closer to himself, "And then you go and show me your _nice_ side, and that just fucks me up further."

Roy let his mouth fall open ever so slightly, his eyes now completely fixed on the blonde. What did he mean by the way he made him feel? Why did he seem like he couldn't bring himself to hate Roy in any circumstance? Had Ed truly fallen for Roy?

Pulling his head back, Ed turned his body to look at Roy. "If nothing else, I want to know _why_. Why you?" He demanded, as if Roy would know the answer. "Why couldn't I have fallen for Winry? Why did it have to be you?"

Maybe Ed's feelings went a little further than lust... Mustang's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Why was that so horrible?

_Why Roy? Why Roy? Please, God, anybody but Roy!_

It's not as if he was some cold-blooded killer. So what if he was a little manipulative?Hell, Ed hadn't even seen just how well Roy could kiss.

"Well... I'm sorry for forcing you to like me - I couldn't help myself," the colonel muttered sarcastically. "Really, Ed, I don't mean to direct this all toward me, but you can't blame me for being a little insulted. What the hell is so wrong with me to make you sound like you'd prefer _anybody _else?"

"Because… because… you're _Mustang_." Ed tried to explain, to figure out his own feelings. He lifted his head now and looked at Roy. "You're manipulative, you spend all your time trying to piss me off, you seem to try so hard to be a bastard!" He shook his head, "And I don't want to feel like that for a _guy_, for someone who's nearly _twice my age_…"

He felt bad for insulting Roy. Sure, he was a bastard to him, and manipulated him a lot, but… but Roy had kept his secret, had helped him get a head start in the world.

"And you know what you're doing, and I'm still completely lost." He sighed, trying to figure out how to explain himself. "And I know you wouldn't want me back." He added quietly, but still audible.

Sighing, he leaned back against the wall then slowly fell sideways, needing to feel some sort of contact. His head was now on Roy's shoulder.

Roy sighed gently at the warmth that emanated from his chest when Ed leaned against him. What was the blonde doing to him? These feelings all of a sudden... he wondered if they had always been there, resting dormant in his heart. He still didn't know quite what they were... but they were definitely new to him. And he definitely liked the way it felt.

That's what scared him. Even Ed saw the problem in their age difference. He'd seen it done before but, even so, it wasn't acceptable to have a romantic relationship with your boss.

So was his heart really attempting to go there? Was Ed wrong? Did Roy... want him back?

Mustang closed his eyes and shook his head gently. He'd wanted plenty of things that he had to turn down for the better good in his life. How hard could it be to let this go?

Roy tilted his head to the side, resting it gently on top of Ed's. He felt tired... and Ed felt so warm...

Maybe it was harder than he thought.

"And now you're being so nice." Ed mumbled, sighing softly. "And I wanna stay like this, it's nice. But my butt's numb." He mumbled as he shifted slightly to stand. Without thinking, he offered his hand to Roy. It took him a second to notice what he'd done, but he didn't retract it, instead he looked Roy in the eyes. "You're sick, right. You should be in bed, _resting_." He added the last thing on the end so that it didn't sound like a proposition. But still, his face flushed again.

"Hawkeye would kill me if you had to spend more time off work because of me…" He offered Roy a small smile, even though he was obviously still nervous. "And I think we need to figure this out…" the admission was quiet, but truthful. Ed knew that if they were to go their separate ways now, things would be awkward next time they saw each other, and since they worked together, it was impossible to avoid one another forever.

Mustang felt his heart jump when Ed smiled in front of him. God, this was so fucked up.

Taking the hand offered to him, Roy hoisted himself to his feet. When he looked down into those beautiful golden eyes, instead of letting go, his grip tightened against his will.

"What do you expect we have here to figure out?" Roy forced himself to release the blonde's hand, yanking his own hand down to rest at his side. At least they were both thinking logically. The problem was, Roy had no idea if there was any real solution to something like this.

Ed sighed softly, heading back to Roy's room, trusting him to follow. "Mustang, I don't know what I want, but right now, I'd settle for being able to be close to you without having to find a private place soon after." He mumbled, "And don't you _dare_ smile at me." He added, looking over his shoulder to look at him. "Because I don't like feeling like the world is spinning."

Now that he'd admitted his feelings to Mustang, it was easier to tell him this sort of thing.

Once they got into Roy's room (which obviously didn't take long), Ed sat on Roy's bed, looking at the other. "I'm looking to you for advice. We _both_ know it won't work between us. So teach me how to get over you." He demanded, "I don't want to react like this…" He explained, "I'm so wound up that I'm sure I'm scaring Al at night…"

He sighed, "Colonel, we have to figure out how to stop this."

Mustang studied the face of the other, noticing the determined expression. He knew Ed was starting to look on the situation as a business deal - something they had to get through and done with. Watching the boy's face, now that Roy was intentionally trying not to smile, the task had suddenly become difficult. How bowed his head, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes in his attempt to hide the amusement that tugged at his lipped as he stifled away a snicker. Ed was just too cute, and now that Roy really realized it, he was having one hell of a hard time holding back. It was as if his body was yearning to make up for the loss of time when the colonel remained oblivious those years before.

Oh shit. Ed was right - this was bad. This couldn't happen. Ed and Roy couldn't happen.

Mustang sighed as he sat down next to Edward, making a point to keep a safe enough distance between them to be sure that their legs wouldn't touch. He smelled nice. Havoc always smelled like cigarettes. And Riza just smelled... well, clean. Roy looked down at his hands resting in his lap, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Alright, Ed..." he started slowly, "I'll do what I can to teach you to get over me."

Mustang looked at Edward through the corners of his eyes, locking his eyes with golden ones.

"If you'll do the same for me."

Ed rolled his eyes, "Yeah – insult me. That's right." He drawled, "Getting over me is easy, all you have to do is step over me because I'm _so_ short." Shaking his head he sighed, "There's really nothing to get over when it comes to me." He told him.

"I dunno how to help you." He admitted, "I've never had to get over someone, so I can't tell you how to." Turning his head, he looked at Mustang, feeling the need to reach out, to hold him and to kiss him. But he couldn't.

"Maybe… we should start listing the reasons why _not_ to." He said, turning away again. "You're my boss. We're in the military, it's against the rules. You're almost twice my age. We're both _guys_." Again, he said that as if it was the worst sin in existence. "I'm still just… I'm still just a kid, chances are this is just hormones. You're a renowned skirt chaser," meaning he wasn't sure if Roy would stay faithful to a young _guy_. "Being together would be wrong." He added, "We can't stop insulting each other, and if it wasn't for…_this_, whatever this is, I'd probably hate you. There's no way you'd want me in return, and I'm still travelling and long distance is always supposed to be hard."

Once he'd finished with his list, he fell silent, not looking at Roy. There. He'd said it. He honestly believed that to be gay was wrong, and that nobody could love him. He'd screwed up everything in his life, his brother had lost his body because of him, what was to say he wouldn't screw up something else. Something like a relationship.

Mustang frowned. "I'm not insulting you. I was actually serious. And, for one thing, if you're going to make a list like that, I would leave the fighting out of it." He smirked. "To be entirely honest, I only tease you to be able to see those adorable reactions of yours."

Roy's thoughts were starting to turn on him. On instinct, his mouth wanted to start an argument. He now saw this as a challenge: Would he be able to find reasons enough that they might want to be together rather than not?

His conscience was screaming at him about things like common sense and why he would do well to just drop it then and there, but Roy was already starting to feel the familiar excitement building up in his chest, just as it always did when he argued with the blonde. Roy tried holding back as much as he could, to refrain from stretching this problem further, but all he could do was not enough to keep him from at least pointing out all the flaws in Ed's list.

"I've never had a problem being with men either, and the military pays no attention to our lives outside of the office. You say that in different circumstance you would hate me, but you _don't_, and you're _not_ going find yourself going back in time and finding a way to turn yourself away from what's already happened. So you have to realize that's not a very strong argument. And like I said… I was serious. We may be screwed, because I just might want you back."

There was more he could say, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Mustang realized how much he really _wasn't _helping. A part of him hoped, for Ed's sake, that the way he defied Ed would help to push him away. A much bigger –and less dormant- part of him wanted to screw the rules and keep the boy to himself.

Ed turned to glare at Roy. "That's not really helping, Mustang." He growled out. "Look, you're the first person I felt this way for, and it's just not going to happen, okay?" The tone of his voice and his facial expressions gave away how much he wanted his words to ring false. He really wanted to be in Roy's arms, to feel him, to share caresses. But was it really only the physical side of things Ed wanted?

As he thought, an image popped up in his head, Roy making breakfast. For the both of them. A normal, morning domestic scene, with a few alterations. The image was so strong, so real, that Ed was sure he could smell the bacon that was sizzling in the pan in Roy's hands. The older male turned to smile at Ed, and it wasn't his usual smile, rather, it was a happy smile. A genuine smile.

No. Ed didn't want just the physical side of the coin. He wanted Roy to smile at him like that.

He wanted to spend a lot of time with him.

But those thoughts just made him feel even more vulnerable than ever. He could easily fall in love with the other, all it would take was that smile.

Sadness filled his face as he spoke the next words, "I can't let it happen." Because even as much as he wanted it to happen, his reasons were all valid, at least, in his mind they were.

Roy shifted his body around and lay back on his bed. The reaction he got from Ed was what he expected, and to some extent what he wanted, but he couldn't help being unhappy about it. He tried to remind himself that he was against this too, but there were too many things that he was just now realizing about himself. He could finally put reasons behind so many of his inexplicable actions in the past. Things like the way he always looked forward to reports from FullMetal and always became restless while the boy was away were actually making sense. He would continue to feel those things even if he didn't get together with the blonde and, now that they stuck out to him, they would always be there to torture him. Being without Edward would always be just as distracting as being with him.

"Fine. Then it won't." The colonel tried to make his tone sound nonchalant like he was so expertly accustomed to, but this time it only just barely managed to cover up the bitterness he felt. The emptiness he felt. The slightest slip-up and he would have revealed just how wrong and fucked up he must have been.

Ed let out a breath. It sounded like a half sob and he felt his shoulders slump. "Yeah…" He agreed quietly, swallowing and taking a shaky breath before standing. He didn't walk away, just… stood there. "Yeah." He repeated, finally making a move to walk to the door. "I- I should … I should go."

Why was he feeling like this? Like his soul had been ripped away… like he was heartbroken. It felt like he'd been rejected, and it was only then that he realized that he'd wanted Roy to fight for him, to claim him as his own. But… He'd tried… Right? So what was wrong with Ed? Why did he feel like this?

"Get better soon." He said quietly before finally leaving the room.

Once out of the room, he stood in the corridor, not sure what he wanted to do now.

It was ten minutes later when he came back into Roy's room, once again huffing about something. "You bastard." He growled, walking directly up to the bed and standing as close as possible to Roy. "Get out of my head." He ordered before leaning forward and awkwardly kissing Roy.

He couldn't do it, he couldn't just walk away, not without knowing how it would be. He knew that it was wrong, sinful to be with another guy, and he knew that Roy was probably just playing with him, and even if he wasn't, he'd move on quickly enough. But Ed wanted to try. He wanted to know what it felt like to be cared for, even if it was a lie.

The lips that had pressed against Roy's were still, since Ed had no idea what he was supposed to do. He just stood there confused and awkward, waiting for Roy's reaction.

--- End Part 4 ---


	5. Chapter 5

**He Brought Him Grapes**

Edited RolePlay By Interstella and 'Jordan'.

**Part Five**

Mustang was frozen where he sat, arms hovering in the air awkwardly in his surprise. His eyes were wide as the full force of the situation slowly settled on him.

Ed was kissing him. Not well, but he was.

Slowly, his eyes closed and his hand moved up to the back of Ed's neck as he reacted to and deepened the kiss. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. Completely unaware of all the problems, all the obstacles on that list, Roy was in bliss. Ed may not have well known how to kiss, but Mustang sure as hell did. His lips moved against the smaller boy's, sucking gently and using his tongue to guide their mouths open. He kissed him slowly, fingers curling into the golden hair of Ed's braid as he walked him through it.

He tried to think of a reason not to be doing this, but all the things he'd worried about before evaded him now. His mind was far too fogged with his desire.

Ed let out a muffled squeak when Roy started to _lick_ his mouth, but soon he melted into the kiss, moving slowly and clumsily as he tried to kiss back. Mustang seemed to want him to move closer, so he did, bringing his knees up, he placed them on either side of Roy's legs, straddling him as he moved closer, trying to get the hang of the kiss.

Like with everything else, Ed was a fast learner. He soon caught on and his arms snaked around Roy's neck as he tried to deepen the kiss. After a _very_ short while, what was happening finally caught up with his body, and he could feel the reaction it had as his blood travelled south, pooling in his groin.

Pulling away from the kiss, he looked at Roy as he tried to get his breath back. One deep breath after another came, but no words. An awkward silence settled on them, and it was something Ed had not been expecting. He thought that it would be easy. Once the decision was made, he and the colonel would instantly be closer. It was the sort of naivety that he was afraid of showing.

"S-so…" He tried to break the silence, fully aware that he was still on Roy's lap and that he was now painfully hard, which was a bit embarrassing. He shouldn't be so turned on by a simple kiss. "That's what all the fuss was about…" He mumbled breathlessly.

Roy watched Ed through low-lidded eyes. The kid was blushing and flustered… and by what Roy could tell from where he was sitting, very, _very _excited.

Mustang's eyes were clouded with lust, his imagination grabbing hold of what had just happened and running with it as far and as fast as it could. He wanted to touch Ed, wanted to _feel _Ed, and, fuck, he wanted to kiss him in so many other places.

He licked his lips as they slowly tilted into a smirk. He'd gotten a taste – a real one this time – and _damn_ did Ed taste good. There was no way the colonel could go back now. Havoc was attractive, sure, but just watching the guy smoke as he lazed around really wasn't all that exciting. This was different. It was only now that Mustang really new that he had fallen, and fallen hard, for the Hero of the People. He should have seen it coming that FullMetal would always try to pull the Flame down with him.

Chuckling softly at Ed's comment, he shook his head.

"I am _so _fucked," he murmured huskily as he tilted his forehead against the blonde's.

Still breathing deeply, Ed found himself smiling, his hands gently rubbing random patterns on Roy's back. "S-so." He started, trying to regain his composure. "Does that mean I get to top?" He asked, trying hard to joke rather than face the reality of what he'd just started.

Leaning forward, he kissed Roy again, not so passionately this time, just a soft press of his lips against Roy's. "I'm just curious." He said, kissing Roy again as he tried to move closer, "you'll teach me." He added between two more kisses. It was like he was trying to justify what they were doing. "It doesn't mean," again with another kiss, "we're together…" And with that, he kissed Roy deeper, moving so close now that his body was pressed flush against Roy's.

A soft hiss of pleasure escaped him as he moved against the other, the bulge in his trousers gently colliding with Roy's torso. The fact that they were in hospital, or that the door was open didn't seem to register with Ed, all that mattered was the man under him and the kiss they were sharing.

Now that Ed was taking initiative, that was all the justification Mustang needed to finally release the block that was holding him back. The moment he felt the boy's hips moving against him, he snapped and sat forward, flipping the position so that Ed was now the one on his back and Mustang had his wrists pinned to the mattress on either side of his head.

"_You_ top _me_? In your dreams," Roy breathed against Ed's ear before nipping it gently and moving down, trailing hot, wet kisses over the boy's neck.

"Follow me..." the colonel all but moaned against the warm skin, "I'll show you how..."

Roy could feel Ed's heartbeat pounding against his own chest as he slid his tongue up from the boy's collar bone to the shell of his ear. He sounds Ed made, the way he writhed beneath the colonel, the heat emanating from his body was driving Roy off the edge. He'd always been one to never want something unless he wanted it bad. And, oh did he want this bad. It had all been sudden, so impulsive, so why did he feel like he'd been waiting all his life for this?

Mustang rolled his hips between Ed's legs, hissing at the fabric between them. He found his fingers weaving themselves with Ed's on each hand as he moaned, low and gentle, into his ear.

"A-actually," Ed managed to pant out between breathless moans, "you always topped in my dreams." He arched his back, bringing his hips up to meet Roy's and leaned his neck back, allowing the colonel more room to work. He'd never felt so good in his life, and never had a situation felt so… right. Instincts aside, Ed still believed that this was a sin, but he had already committed one taboo. Maybe this one would have better consequences.

"Naghn…" he groaned, "M-mustang…" He sounded like he wanted to say something, even to his own ears, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what. A flash by the door reminded him. Oh yes.

"M-Mustang…" He tried to speak again, moaning deeply before continuing. Even with all his squirming and moaning, he didn't expect to be _this_ out of breath. "H-Hawkeye is p-pointing a gun at you."

And sure enough, in the doorway, was a very pissed off looking Riza Hawkeye, aiming a gun at her superior officer.

--- End Part 5 ---

A/N: Sorry this was short… The next part should be up soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**He Brought Him Grapes**

**Part 6**

An Edited RolePlay by Interstella and 'Jordan'

"Sir, perhaps you should calm down and get off Edward." She commanded in a stern voice. From her perspective, Roy was holding Ed down and doing things to him that no child should ever receive. In her eyes, the Elric brothers would always be those twelve year old children she'd met four years ago.

At the sound of a familiar voice, Mustang immediately stopped all movement, his head turning slowly toward the door of the room until he locked eyes with his Lieutenant.

Shit.

Roy was breathing heavily. Slowly, steadily, but still close to panting. He sat up slowly, never taking his eyes off of Riza or her gun, and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.

"Hawkeye... Put down the gun..." He ordered slowly.

Roy wouldn't have been so peeved at himself if the fact of the matter was that he had simply forgotten about the door. But he hadn't forgotten. He just... didn't care at the time.

'_Lessons learned...' _he droned in his mind.

He could imagine what this looked like to Hawkeye. A 29-year-old man on top of a 16-year-old boy with less than pure intentions was... well, it was exactly what was happening. But at least he wasn't _raping _the kid.

...Right?

Ed stayed exactly where he was, his arms by his head and his eyes closed. He was panting like crazy and painfully aroused. After a moment, he turned his head to look at Riza dazedly. A dark flush was still on his face, along with a small smile. He was perfectly aware that Roy was still straddling him, and he quite liked that fact.

Riza looked between the two and kept her gun aimed at Mustang. Taking two steps into the room, she kicked the door behind her and stared at the two. "Get off him Colonel." She ordered, taking things quite seriously. Ed had yet to say anything, so she wasn't sure what exactly was going on. But she wouldn't believe that it was entirely consensual, Ed was only sixteen, after all.

Ed frowned, finally moving his arms, but they didn't move to push Roy off, like Riza expected, rather, they moved down to sit on Roy's hips, holding him where he was.

"H-" His throat felt dry, so he swallowed then tried again, "Hawkeye…" He said quietly, "I don't want him to move."

Clenching her teeth, Riza looked between the two and slowly lowered her gun. "What exactly is going on here?" She asked dangerously, her arms still holding her gun tightly, ready to re-aim should she feel the need to.

Roy couldn't help but smirk when the boy beneath him refused to let him move, keeping Roy straddled over his hips, but the expression quickly faded when Riza spoke up again, demanding to know what was going on.

What was he supposed to say?

'_Well, you see, Hawkeye, Edward here wanted me to teach him the proper technique of homosexual fornication.'_

He didn't _have_ any acceptable explanation for his actions. Something in the back of Roy's mind spoke up to inform him that it just went to show how wrong this was, but somehow it never got loud enough for the colonel to pay any real attention to. As if having a gun pointed at your face wasn't loud enough.

"Uh..." Roy began, rather pathetically. "He started it?"

Ed's body was calming down now, and his brain finally had enough blood to think. He bit his lip then and nodded before moving his face away. He was ashamed now. He knew that it was wrong to be with another guy, and having Hawkeye find them like _this_…

"I just… I wanted to…" He could figure out what he wanted to say though, and finally, he began to move. Letting go of Roy's hips, he wiggled from under him and stood, straightening out his clothes before looking at Roy with a blush, then at Riza with a darker one. "Um… I should go." He managed to say before fleeing from the room.

As he passed Riza, he said something to her, "It was consensual." Those three words were said with such shame, that she couldn't be sure they were right.

Once Ed had left, she turned to look at Roy. "You have some explaining to do." She ordered, for once not caring that Roy outranked her. "Because from where I'm stood, it didn't _look_ consensual." She warned, still standing ready to aim. "What's going on?"

If it really was consensual, then why would Ed run away like that? Did he think that he'd done something wrong?

Mustang cursed under his breath as he watched Ed flee his room for about the fiftieth time. He started to get up to follow him but Riza was still holding her gun. Roy sat back down.

"Damn it..." he muttered, holding his hands up in surrender. "Hawkeye, wait - just- hold on! Let me just... let me just go after him to see if he..." Roy frowned. "Come on, Hawkeye. You don't seriously think I would force him to do something like that?"

Mustang was starting to worry. He was afraid that Ed might not go back to his hotel. He wanted to make sure that he was safe. He wanted to know that he would be ok, that he wasn't upset over any of this. And if he was, Roy wanted to be there to comfort him.

Mostly, he was afraid that Ed wouldn't come back after this - that he would pretend like it had never happened. Somehow, Roy wasn't sure he'd be able to handle that. It could have something to with the guilt, afraid he'd gone too far and scared him away. Maybe it had to do with simply wanting to be with Ed. Mustang didn't know why he wanted that so badly, especially with a teenager.

The voice in the back of his mind was beginning to speak more clearly once again. Roy knew that Ed wasn't the one who should have felt ashamed.

Mustang sighed. His problem down below was painful... Hopefully Hawkeye would at least release him for that.

Hawkeye raised an eyebrow. "Why did he run." She asked, this time a little quieter. She could tell that Roy was in pain, and weather or not it was consensual, Roy certainly had a soft spot for Ed it seemed.

Ed had brought him grapes, and that was strange for the kid, so maybe it wasn't as one sided as she was thinking. But still, the young Elric probably didn't understand what he was getting himself into, and she didn't want to have to watch his heart break.

"Explain this to me." She told him, completely lowering her gun and sitting on the chair, making it obvious that she wasn't going to let him go until she had the whole story. "I've been your subordinate for a long time, colonel, and even before that, I like to think we were friends. So trust me with this." She asked him. "Edward will be fine. Alphonse is outside the room." She added, trying to make Roy feel better about not going after him. "He probably needs some time to think."

Mustang rubbed his temples. What a hell of a day.

Opening his eyes, he decided he might as well just get through with this. Hawkeye only had the best of intentions.

Roy shifted uncomfortably in his seat before taking on a serious expression. "He ran... because he thinks it's wrong to be gay. He was angry with me for the way I made him feel. He said I was invading his dreams. When he confessed all of that... I guess I must have fallen for him."

Roy couldn't believe how stupid it sounded in hind sight. A kid admits they have a crush on you and you're suddenly in love with them? He shook his head. There was more to the story - the rest of it probably gave way to some justification.

"We both decided that we should get over each other and Ed left. Then he came storming back in, called me a bastard, and kissed me."

Apparently he was wrong. The last part was just as stupid and thoughtless as the first. He cursed his impulsiveness.

Riza stayed silent for a short time longer before shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "The fighting you guys usually do," She began, realizing that Roy hadn't suddenly developed feelings for Ed, "Was like a school boy throwing sticks at a pretty girl." She shook her head with a soft, barely there smile. "Would I be correct to assume you haven't just developed these feelings, but rather just… discovered them?" She asked, relaxing slightly.

"As for thinking it's wrong, he grew up in a small village. It's possible that he had some bad experiences with a homosexual before, or heard something bad of them." She said, "Weather he wants to admit it or not, Edward is still a child and he's quite impressionable. Perhaps we should have Fuery talk to him?" She suggested with a soft sigh. "We need to help him change his mind on that one."

"Discovered them, huh?" Roy tilted his head back, looking up to the ceiling that was in desperate need of an elaborate mural. "I thought about that... I guess it seems about right."

Mustang lowered his chin to look at Riza again. His eyebrows were pulled together slightly and he looked confused. "What does this have to do with _Fuery_?"

Riza smiled softly, "Fuery's gay, sir." She said to him, "He has been since he's been about Edward's age." She smiled and stood. "I think you should give him some space. You're not supposed to be out of bed yet anyway. He'll come back to you when he's ready." She looked at the door before sighing softly.

"Permission to speak freely sir?" She asked quietly. Rarely did she ask that, knowing that Roy wouldn't take offense at what she normally would say, but what was to come next would likely cause him some distress.

Mustang covered his eyes with his hand as if trying to relieve a headache that was yet to come. If Riza was preparing him for something, it was bound to be bad.

He stayed silent for just a moment before deciding that he might as well here it. Whatever it was, it couldn't be anything worse than he'd ever told himself.

"Granted." He mumbled.

Riza stayed silent for a moment before she spoke. "I think he really likes you. Don't break his heart." She said, "If you're going to have him, make sure it's _only_ him." She knew Roy probably would be offended by her insinuation, but at the same time, he knew what he was. "If you break him, he might never be fixed." Pausing, she thought weather she should add the next bit or not. "I think you could be good for each other. Try and help him learn that it's not bad to be gay."

And with that, she smiled softly and left the room with a quiet "I'll be in the office if you need me.".

--- ---- ----

Outside the room, Ed had run into Al – literally and was hyperventilating, his mind only just realizing what he'd done with Roy – what he'd nearly done. He wanted it, oh that was painfully obvious, but all his reasons came flooding back to him. As soon as he'd seen his brother, he'd wanted to break down and confess everything, to cry on his brother's shoulder and trust that Al would take care of things. But he couldn't. Edward was the older brother, not Alphonse. It was Ed's job to 'take care of things'.

So he'd just sat down, back in his spot against the wall of Roy's room. He could hear what was being said on the other side, and had to wonder exactly what Roy would say to Riza.

He didn't talk to Al, just sat there silently, his knees by his chest and his head against the wall. Quietly listening in on the conversation behind them.

Alphonse looked down at his brother. What no idea what had happened in the first place, he didn't know what to say or do.

Ed seemed to be listening through the wall, so that ruled out talking to him. He supposed that sometimes it was better just to be there, to wait and see if there was anything his brother was willing to talk about.

So Alphonse stayed where he was. He was there for his big brother, just like Ed was always there for him.

After a little while, Ed sighed. They were talking about him. He understood that they were only trying to help… maybe listening in wouldn't be such a good idea – it was just pissing him off.

Turning to Al, he gestured for his brother to sit down. Thankfully, it was lunch time now, so nobody was in the corridor, he could talk to his brother in private, sat right there.

"We… We kissed." He said to his brother, not being able to find a way to describe it fully. The word 'kiss' didn't seem right, like it barely covered how amazing the action was, how excruciatingly _exciting_ it had been. "I-I like him, Al." He admitted, finally. "I know it's wrong, for so many reasons. But… But I want to be with him. I don't know what to do." He added. "It's scary how strong I feel for him – he's a bastard, a manipulative ass who makes my knees go weak when he smiles." He shook his head before placing it on his knees like he had less than half an hour before. "I don't know what to do." The terrified whisper was loud enough for Al to hear, but barely.

Alphonse stayed quiet, listening intently to everything his brother had to say.

And then it came to that question of what he was supposed to do. Alphonse didn't know much about relationship advice... but the answer seemed obvious to him.

"If you like him, Brother.... if he makes you feel that way... then why not just be with him?"

It was an innocent question, his tone unsure as it was asked, afraid that it might upset Ed. But it seemed like Ed was going at full length to avoid what seemed to Alphonse to be the easiest way out. Al couldn't help but wonder... why?

Ed smiled softly at his brother, lifting his head to do so. "It's not as easy as all that, Al." He told him softly, "I know you don't think that it's wrong for me to be with another guy, but I can't help but feel that way. And if it was only that, I might just get over it. But it's not. He's my superior officer, my _boss_. He's fourteen years older than me, and…" He curled closer in on himself now, "And I don't know how faithful he'd be." He added finally.

For Ed, he knew that there could be nothing worse than betrayal. Roy had chased a lot of skirts in his time, and Ed wasn't sure if Roy would be _able_ to remain loyal to just one person. It wasn't in his nature.

"I don't think I could handle having my heart broken if I gave it to him…"

Ed was feeling very vulnerable today.

Alphonse looked down at the floor. When he put it like that, it sounded like Ed might be right. But Alphonse didn't believe in giving up hope. Maybe this was different for Mustang. Maybe...

Alphonse sighed inwardly. Ed was right, he didn't understand any of this well enough to be of any help to his brother. All he could do was wish for the best, whether that meant for Mustang to want Ed the way Ed wanted him or simply for his brother to be able to accept and get past all this when it was over.

He only hoped that Ed would be happy in the end.

--- --- ---

When Riza left the room, she saw Ed and stopped. The young man jumped up instantly, flushed a dark red. She smiled at him, but that only served to make him redder and turn away.

"Edward…" She said softly. "You can go back in now."

A single nod was all she got in return and Ed walked back into the room. Turning to Alphonse, she smiled softly. "I don't think Ed will be coming out again any time soon. They have some things to talk about. Why don't you come and keep me company for lunch?"

Alphonse sighed gently but smiled to himself, holding onto the hope that things would work out. Nodding, Al followed Riza.

--- End Part 6 ---


End file.
